Betty Harford, ‘Dynasty’ and ‘The Paper Chase’ Actress, Dies at 98

Betty Harford, who made several appearances in “Dynasty” and “The Paper Chase,” died on Nov. 2. She was 98.

Harford’s death was confirmed by her friend Wendy Mitchell, who shared the news on Facebook.

Harford appeared as the secretary for law school professor Charles W. Kingsfield on the CBS drama “The Paper Chase.”

She played Ms. Nottingham for 41 episodes of the series, which ran for one season from 1978 to 1979 on CBS. “The Paper Chase” ran for three more seasons on Showtime from 1983 to 1986.

For nine years, Harford acted in “Dynasty,” playing the recurring role of cook Hilda Gunnerson from 1981 to 1989.

She appeared in 34 episodes of the soap opera during its first eight seasons. She reprised her character for the 1991 reunion miniseries, “Dynasty: The Reunion.”’

Born in New York City, Harford’s entry into film and television began in the 1950s with the radio Western drama show “Gunsmoke” and the docudrama series “Crime Classics.”

She also appeared in episodes of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Dr. Kildare,” “The Twilight Zone,” “The Big Valley,” “Fireside Theatre” and “Luv Video Theatre.”

In the 1960s, Harford acted in Houseman’s UCLA Theatre Group and played a nurse for director James Bridges in the 1997 film “September 30, 1955,” which starred Richard Thomas.

Harford also appeared in the 1959 film, “The Wild and the Innocent,” as Ms. Forbes.

Her acting credits also include TV roles on “Room 222” and “Mrs. Columbo” and films such as “Spartacus” (1960), “Signpost to Murder” (1964), “Win, Place or Steal” (1974) and “The China Syndrome” (1979).

She was married to California sculptor Oliver Andrews before separating in the late 1970s.

She remarried Hungarian actor Alex de Naszody until his death. She is survived by her son Chris, from her first marriage, and her grandsons.